Game of Life
by Rain Winter
Summary: Spike, feeling that he is not good enough for Rarity, tries harder to be the best player on his soccer team. Bullied for being the only dragon, he is out to set a new standard for those who are bullied, 'Anything Can Happen in Life'. Spike, the first dragon in history, to truly leave a mark upon pony kind.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

_Life is but one crossroad of destiny that we make, there are no up or downs, no wrongs or rights, just the path before you that is welcoming you with opens arms, like a mother with her newborn foal. Whether you choose to follow that path is up to you, but life is more than what we make it out to be._

_ In life there are great things to be done, love to be shared, to bring a new life into this beautiful world. There are the moonlit nights, where one can see all the stars of Princess Luna's glory, alongside of her ever present moon, which shines brighter than any star ever could hope. Yet, that is not all that is to be had of life, nah, the most important part, is to live it. _

_ Both good and evil exist in every mare, stallion, or dragon, though that does not mean that all must give into its temptations. The greatest thing about life is the chance to live it, whether that be for good, or for evil intents. The choice remains solely yours and always will be, but sometimes even that is not enough. For some people, love is what they want to live their life for._

_ Love is one of the greatest gifts that a mare, stallion, or dragon could ever hope to get. Although, there are two types of love, one in which you love your family, friends, even a close friend, but then there is another kind of love. This form of love is the most powerful, as it has the power to transcend into death, even beyond the end of time. True love is its name, and it is not always found in one's life, but that does not mean that it doesn't exist._

* * *

Fall came to the small city of Ponyville, bringing with it the bitter cold that accompanied the season, along with the ash grey clouds that filled the skies. Leaves turned to their distant shades of orange, red, or yellow, falling from the safety of their tree branches as they grew too weak to hold on any longer. A light breeze blew through the undersized city, rustling the leaves as it shifted by like a snake through grass.

One tree, a tall oak that rose high into the sky, seemed to hold within the confines of its branches a lone amethyst purple drake. Leaves had fallen into his emerald green mohawk, going unnoticed by him however as he was lost in thought. From where he lie, he could see right through a break in the leaves to see the still great blue sky.

Passing by now and again was a group of fillies or colts heading off towards another part of the garden to either eat their lunch alone or just to converse with one another. He himself, already having ate his lunch, was just content to lie there and gaze up at the sky. This was his special time, this was the time that he actually got to spend by himself and not worry about friends, not worry about bullies, to just be at peace.

This did nothing to deter his train of thoughts from turning towards his love life however, as visions of a single mare, whom he had fully given his heart to, seemed to slither their way into his mind. For only a few weeks now he had been with the mare of his dreams, much to both his own surprise and all of his friends. They all had known how the drake had felt about the mare, since he almost always talked about her when she was not around, but they did not really expect her to feel the same way that he did.

The drake could still remember the day as if it had just happened not only a few hours ago; _It was yet another warm day in Ponyville, the fifth of September to be exact. Already some of the leaves were starting to change color, yet they were not ready to let go of their hold on their branches. Through the heat of the sun a nice, soothing chilling breeze seemed to make its way between the various trees that were in the garden to blow against his half-bare body._

_ Puddles of blood covered the concrete walkway that the students used to walk between the school, tables, and various collections of trees, flowers, and benches that were dotted throughout the large garden. Being held up by two large colts was the drake, his shirt thrown towards the side as it was tattered and torn, soaked in his blood._

_ His left eye was black, while his nose was broken in two places, with maybe a few ribs bruised, possibly broken. Despite his messed up figure, the drake was still having a colt before him punching him in the gut, making him cringe at the pain in his ribs. "Ha, is that all you got McKlaren. My older sister punches harder than you ever will."_

_ Said colt laughed before he threw another punch towards the drake, hitting him dead center on the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. "If you were a real dragon Spike, you would know when to shut up and take your punishment. Don't you know that it is not natural to be a dragon, freak? Ha, well we'll soon fix that, won't we boys?"_

_ The two colts holding Spike nodded before they too punched his gut, knocking him backwards and possibly off his feet had they not been holding him. "Now, let this be a lesson to you. Don't mess with those who are better than you, because we are natural. Stay in whatever cave you crawled out of." With that the two colts holding him released him, laughing as he slumped to the ground in a hardly breathing heap._

_ As they walked away, the drake just stared up at the sky, wondering why he had to be born a dragon. Why was it that the universe had cursed him, made him different? What had he ever done to deserve the treatment that he had gotten? All this and more ran through his now aching mind, while at the same time trying to push away the pain so that he could possibly stand and walk away._

_ Neither he nor the bullies, who were not far away, were expecting what happened next however. "Spike!" Both the bullies and said drake turned to look at who had called his name, slightly taken aback by the fact that it was a beautiful mare. Soft, soothing silvery-white fur adorned her body, being covered mostly by her attire, while her violet purple mane was rolled into magnificent curls. Loving, caring sapphire blue eyes looked out towards the drake as tears began to fall from them. "Spike!"_

_ Bolting across the walkway towards him, she paid no heed to the bullies that were now coming over towards the two, wondering why one of the most beautiful mares in the entire school was running over towards the drake instead of away. She knelt before him, taking one of his scaled hands within her own, feeling his scales brush against her fur as if it was the last feeling that she was ever going to experience of hos touch. She pressed her head against his breast, hearing his heart still beating, unaware of the danger that was closing in on her._

_ The three colts slowly drifted towards her, careful so as not to scare her. They did not want to damage her, merely to shoo her away from the so called, 'unnatural freak'. Despite the fact that they all wanted to shoo her away at first, as they drew nearer they could not help but feel like they wanted more. All of them had a crush on the mare, but they thought that she would never go for them. That changed however as they realized that if she cared this much about the drake, then maybe they could get with her._

_ Unknowingly, another mare came casually strolling down the concrete walkway. Midnight blue fur adorned her body, showing through on various places due to her choice of attire. Dark neon green spiked hair was atop her head, while her deep azure blue eyes showed a hint of anger as she spotted the bullies as they drew ever closer to the silvery-white mare, yet as soon as she saw the drake, utter rage began to seethe through her. Without even having to think, the mare took a running start before hopping over the bricked off section of garden that held within its confines a tall oak tree._

_ Never taking her eyes of off the bullies, she redoubled her speed before she leapt through the air, coming to land with a foot upon one of the colts' backs. Before either of the other two could figure out what was happening she rolled around on the ground, using her legs to throw them to the concrete, hard. McKlaren growled at first before he spun around to assail his attacker, slightly shocked to find that it was a mare rather than a colt, but he still went on regardless. Bringing back a fist, he got ready to throw a punch before she grabbed his other arm, flinging him over her body and knocking the breath of air from his lungs._

_ Whirling around, the mare rose back to her feet while at the same time watching the three bullies from the corners of her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she took her fighting stance as the three bullies rose back to their feet, McKlaren making the first move by going after the silvery-white mare. He did not get far however as the silvery-white mare struck him in the gut with one swift kick, sending him back a few feet before he collided with the ground. The other two looked at one another before running over to McKlaren, helping him up as they took off away from the two mares, who looked upon them with hatred._

_ Spike, the drake, looked up towards the silvery-white mare that was towering above him, her eyes watching the bullies run away. "R-Rarity, C-Cobalt." No sooner had their names rolled off his lips that they were almost kneeling over him, looking at him with care, love, and a burning desire to punish those who had done this to him. "Well, I-I g-guess that w-we showed them, huh?" He tried to laugh, but ended up coughing at the pain that it caused him._

_ Rarity placed a hand against his heart, feeling it beating at an eccentric rate. Turning to look at the midnight mare next to her she said, "Cobalt, get you brother, after you get a nurse and Twilight." The mare nodded her head before dashing off back the way she had come, knowing the school better than even the janitors did._

_ Tears fell from Rarity's eyes as she looked down at Spike, taking out a few tissues that she had in her bag to wipe away the blood from under his nose. "Spike, please stay with me." Not that she would ever admit it, but she had listened in on a few health classes and learned that his types of wounds could prove fatal for him if left unchecked. She easily felt around his chest to find that at least two ribs were out of place and moved easily, while there was some swelling at his nose along with a few cuts on his lips._

_ Her voice was softer this time as she spoke, worry, love, care, and dread all evident at once, "Spike, you must stay with me. I know that we have never really talked about this much my little Spikey-Wikey, but I need you in my life. I can't imagine it without you." She wiped some more tears from her eyes before she looked into his, seeing that confusion was present, as was love and care._

_ In a voice that was just as shaky as her own, Spike asked, "What do you mean? I thought that you were only friends with me because you pitied me. I thought that none of you cared for me. I thought I was alone, never to have true friends like you and Rain and Cobalt. What about everyone treating me like a freak? Am I not a freak to you?"_

_ Rarity could see the tears falling from his eyes, though they were not from the pain that he must be feeling, but rather from the pain of letting his heart open. She realized that he was, for the first time, opening up to her. He was afraid that he would never get the chance to find out what she really thought of him, and he wanted to know. "No Spike, you are not a freak. You are anything but. I could never want a friend that was not you, you are an amazing dragon Spike, and in my eyes you are just as gallant or regal as any colt or stallion. Spike, your are somepony that I could see forever in my future. Life without you is a life that I do not want to live in._

_ "What are you saying Rarity?" He thought in his heart that she was going to spill her love for him, but he was unsure and did not want to get his hopes up in case it was naught to be._

_ A look of determination came into her eyes then, one that told him what she was going to say was the absolute truth in the matter. "Spike, I love you. I want you in my life, both as somepony to hold close, and somepony or dragon who is always there for me. I never want to leave you, I never want to see you leave ever again." Before he could utter another word she pressed her lips against his, ignoring the small cuts that were there as well as the blood that slowly trickled out from the pressure. She pulled away however when she heard the sound of numerous pairs of footsteps running over towards them._

_ Cobalt lead the way, with Twilight and Cobalt's older brother Rain running along with them. Behind them all ran the nurse, who was quick to head over to Spike as soon as he saw the drake. Wasting no time, he declared that Spike needed to go to the hospital._

He remembered how Rarity had refused to leave his side until he was better and could come to school, even then she was weary around him, always making sure that he was able to function on his own. He would be lieing if he said that he did not rather enjoy the attention that he was getting from Rarity, but it just led him on to believe that she was only with him because she pitied him, nothing more.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the tree as he looked back towards the sky, watching as a pair of robins flew by, darting after one another as though it was some ancient mating call. It brought a slight grin to his face, if the sound of creaking branches did not. His nose picked up her scent before his eyes caught sight of her beside him, the heavenly mixture of vanilla fused with peppermint and honey always seemed like an appropriate scent.

A kiss upon his cheek put his suspicions to rest as he put an arm around her, letting her cuddle up against his warm side. Though he was content to lie with her by his side, he could not help but ask the one question that had plagued his mind since the day she had told him that she loved him, "Rarity? D-Do you truly love me, or was what you said out of pity?"

When he chanced a glance at her, he was surprised to see a look of shock upon her face, but it quickly turned to one of understanding as she read between the lines of what he had said. "Yes my Spikey-Wikey, I do truly love you." If only to prove her point further, she pulled his head to face her as she allowed her eyes to close, slowly though, as she wanted to see him. Their lips brushed against one another while she pressed herself harder against him, grinning into the kiss when he pulled her yet even closer.

As they remained locked within their embrace, he allowed his tongue to slip from between his lips to brush against her own, begging to be let in. Never having done this before, he was surprised when she granted him access, letting her own tongue assault his before roving past to gather what essence she could from his mouth.

A fire seemed to stir within them as they shared one of the most simplest of pleasantries that came with being a couple, but one that took on so much meaning. For Spike, it was a chance to show the mare before him just how he felt, how he wanted to make her smile everyday, be the one that she looked forward to seeing first thing in the morning, and ultimately be the one drake that she could count on, no matter what. He wanted to be everything that she was searching for in a life long mate, be a lover that would never hurt her, never leave her, and never forget about anything that was important to her. All of these emotions rattled through him, transferring into the kiss that he hoped would never signal the end of their relationship.

Rarity felt a much deeper passion stirring inside of her. For years prier she had awaited her little Spikey-Wikey to approach her, but alas, he never did. It was only when he was truly hurt that she had admitted her feelings for him, but that was something that she would not trade for anything in the world. Now, she was happy, she was content, and she made the one drake that she loved happy by being with him. He was in all words, a perfect fit for her. He would come around her boutique to help out after school or whenever he could, he would always be there for her, like he was before they were together.

Secretly, the mare would never admit to it, but she had loved Spike from the moment that he started to treat her like she was a mare, where as the other colts acted like she was some mindless sex object that was just there to fulfill their desires. With Spike, it was a whole other playing field. He acted like she was the most precious gem in the entire world, like anything that ever dared try to harm her he would stop with all of his might, even if it killed him. She knew that his love for her was strong, but neither was truly aware just how much stronger or deeper her love for him ran.

In truth, what she felt for him was grander than a vast, raging ocean that spanned for miles. His face filled her waking thoughts, while his smile seemed to never fade from memory, and just the feeling of their tongues brushing against one another, was never forgotten. It seemed as though these small moments together brought out the best in each other, the true feelings that were between them.

A moment like theirs could only last for so long while they were at school, but that did not mean that they could not prolong the inevitable. With a slow, almost pleading look of hurt, Rarity managed to gather enough strength to pull her lips away from the drake's, knowing that their moment was not yet over, but it seemed slightly less special. Heavy breaths escaped her lips before she looked down, where much to her wonder, Cobalt stood below, looking up in the tree ever so longingly. With a slight grin, she began to climb the tree towards them, ignoring the creaking of the branches.

She stopped when she was in a comfortable place across from the two lovers, looking at each one in turn with a broad grin starting to grow bigger the longer she was there. "I don't mean to intrude, but I thought that this was the best place to be alone." Her voice was soft and soothing, almost like the sweet singing of birds on a summer afternoon, though it was slightly gravely, like a bed of rocks being trampled by tires from cars. "Though, I should have known you were busy, this is after all your tree Spike."

She giggled lightly at the blush that was slowly starting to spread across his cheeks, getting slightly a deeper shade of crimson as Rarity slid down slightly so that her head rested on his chest. "Well darling, Spikey and I were just enjoying the complete serenity of the air this afternoon. It seems as though all is right in the world."

Cobalt scoffed before she lost her grin, if only slightly, "Ha, that's a laugh. You are with Spike, you don't have to fight of numerous guys who want to get with you, none of them or most knowing your are into mares. Some I guess just want to watch me and another mare kiss or something, perverts. Between Rain and myself however, we can manage to keep them at bay for a few days before they attempt anything more." Her voice seemed to drop to a rather loud whisper, cracking slightly as a few tears came to her eyes as she said, "I hate being in love. Rain acts like it is the greatest thing ever, but it is not, especially when you don't know whether the mare you are in love with is like you."

Neither Spike nor Rarity knew what she was going on about, for neither one knew who she was in love with, much less why she would hate the fact that she was in love. Then again, as she had said, she was into mares, not colts, and she had said that she did not know if the mare she loved was into mares at all or not. "Darling, may I ask who it is that your heart is set on?"

A deep rosy red blush came across her midnight cheeks as she looked away from them for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back at them, more so Rarity. "I, uh, I uh, well, you see..." She tried to hold back her nerves so that she could tell them, for she had been best friends with Rarity and Spike ever since she was little, so being nervous around them was something new. Though, when she spoke again, they could understand why, "Well, you see, my heart is set on the one mare in the world with the most beautiful singing voice. Uh, I mean to uh, to say that she has a great voice."

Her eyes shifted between the two lovers before she once again sighed, "Rarity." The mare's eyes widened as she thought about what Cobalt had said, piecing together the dots just as Spike had, both smiling as they realized who she was going to say. "I think, or I feel like I am in love with Sweetie Belle, Rarity."

Cobalt closed her eyes, awaiting the yelling or screaming that she was going to get, but instead she found herself wrapped in a hug by the two who were sitting before her. Rarity whispered into her ear, "It's okay to feel like that towards her Cobalt. You two have been best friends since you were kids, it is only natural that you being into mares would find love in her. Besides, I know that she is into mares as well. I cannot tell you how she feels about her best friend, but I think that you should tell her how you feel."

Cobalt looked back towards Rarity with now open eyes, "You think so Rare?"

A wide grin came across the older mares lips, "I know you should. If you don't, you may never get the chance to tell her. Go to her now, she is only a few feet away.

"Thank you Rarity, I love you both." Squeezing the two lovers one last time, Cobalt dropped from the tree after slipping through their arms with ease, taking off towards where she knew Sweetie Belle would be.

Rarity kissed Spike's cheek before lying her head back down on his toned chest. "Spike, I know that I never can say it enough, but I do love you. There is no where in the world that I would rather be, nor is there any colt or stallion that I would rather be with. I must say that you are like an everlasting pool of calm, clear water, that looks as though you could see to the bottom. When ever I think that I am almost there you seem to surprise me yet again, with nothing more than a simple touch or move. But that does not mean it is a bad thing. I kind of like that about you, you can change a routine just like that, or you can seem to adapt to whatever life wants to throw at you. In that matter, I admire you.

"You are also one of the most courageous drakes that I know, even though you are the only one I do know. But being here with you brings a warmth to my heart that no stallion, nor colt, nor mare could ever bring like you do. With you, I feel like I am free, like I can do anything and you will never hold it against me. Not saying that I would take advantage of you, but what I am saying is that my love for you knows no bounds, and together forever with you is where I want to be. Only a few weeks of dating, and knowing you all of my life practically, makes what we have really special. Spike, you are the one that I truly want, and no pony else is going to take that from me or you.

"Spike, to this promise I will hold true; from this day forth, thought none have ever come close, you are the only male outside of my friends or family who will see the interior of my true home, only you will ever see my body in its purest of forms. Spike, we are not so young as we once were, but until I graduate this year, we must remain slightly apart. We can be together, but no more so than we are now. I love you, and I want to start a family with you, but I am not ready for one right now."

Spike looked at Rarity with new found love, and care. "Rarity, I know how you feel. I am not ready for a family either, but I will be ready whenever you are. If I must, I will take up being the most personal guard to Princess Celestia, and make sure that I am the best guard she ever had."

She giggled, "Then I may fly with Princess Luna to the moon, where I can always await your return from her service, where we can then stay a family together, just you and I." They both shared a light laugh at what she had said, neither one noticing just how tightly, nor how close they were holding the other.

Ringing from the bell signaled the end of their short time together, but neither one felt despair as they knew that shortly they would be together again to share the same seventh period, Theater. With a smile upon both or their lips, they dismounted the tree to go apart their own ways, watching each other until the building blocked their vision. Even then, Spike could feel in his heart, as if by some unspoken consent, that he was now going to be the only one for Rarity.


	2. Practice

_Practice_

"Darkness is but an eternal, extinguished light waiting for the return of serenity. Through the shrouds of evil one can chose to make a new beginning, or they can accept despair into their heart. However, rather it is said that Light itself is yet another shade of darkness, which festers in the mind like a plague before bursting forth and leaving naught but evil in its wake.

"It is therefore said that to wield a sword of power, is to wield it for both justice and torture, to seek two different sides of truth, and opposite ends of darkness. One side of darkness means nothing to the other, each pony can choose to perceive this evil in their own terms. One pony's justice, is another one's evil intent, whether if be true or forthwith. So it is told in history that the fact of balance is always in jeopardy, wars are always raging, rebellions rising against the government, destruction all around. Yet we perceive these as normal tidings rather than horrible, good, or evil.

"A rebellion may be fighting for a just cause, but in building together, they are creating more evil that adds to the fire. It is said that you should rather love thy fellow pony, whether he be gluten, fragile, female, or different. We should accept the differences that are all around us, learn to live with them and let evil wash away as best it can. But isn't that too evil? This is the written word of... Mr. Sparkle, I still have three minutes of your time. Stop looking at the clock and focus on the book."

Spike had to bite back a curse as he turned from the clock hanging above the door to look down at the open book on his desk, finding that it was the same book that he had already read over a dozen times. "Now, where was I?"

The drake cleared his throat before he looked at the teacher, never even glancing at the book as he picked up where the teacher left off, " This is the written word of Almanoc Stalling, the first true poet to study both dragon and pony prehistory writing. Through his studies he found that the written word of ponies and dragons were not all that dissimilar from each other, but they did lead very different lives.

"This is seen in 'Lauridiac', or is known in pony tongue as 'Dragon'. 'Sleveckan arwic torden', 'Leaders of the seven Dragon tribes', often had to fight every year to maintain their position as leader, at the end of each year however they were brought before the King and Queen of all dragons, who would then pass judgement on those who had won. The title of King would pass down from father to son.

"This was not that different from the ponies, they had twelve different tribes that lived together in harmony. Each one held a leader, but that leader was elected into their position by the ponies in the village. They were all ruled for centuries by a single Princess until she was wed to a dragon, who was the son of the dragon King.

"While the ponies saw this as a new way to learn more about the dragons, the dragons saw it as a Princess seducing a dragon for more power. Due to this claim, the dragon King declared war on the ponies for turning his son against him. For over a thousand years the dragons and ponies fought, in the surrounding hills of Crystal Heights, where scars from the numerous battles can still be seen, to the great plains of Equestria, where the largest battle took place. Blood can still be seen soaking into the ground, and rotting bodies are still being found. Yet, this did not mark the end of the war."

Here Spike let his voice drop slightly, feeling the sorrow of knowing what he was about to say somewhat painful to even think about. Tears fell from his eyes as he looked around, seeing all eyes on him along with the teacher, all with wide eyes and slightly ajar jaws. "No, but this was the final battle between the common ponies and dragons. The final battle was fought in Canterlot Castle, where the dragon King and Queen fought against the Princess and her Dragon lover.

"The skies never seemed to be so dark as they did that day, when they battled for hours upon hours, neither one managing to gain the upper hand. And then, the worst thing happened. The Princess was pierced through the heart, bleeding out her last breath. The dragon, in his rage, almost killed his father before taking the Princess back with him to their chamber. There, he gave his life so that the Princess could live.

"The very next day, the Princess herself told the dragon King and Queen, who both agreed with her when she told them to end the war. Since then dragons do not commonly come out of Canterlot, where they live alongside ponies. What Stalling found was that the war was another form of evil in its own right, for the matter of light, of good to come forth, death and evil had to happen first. It was written long ago that Stalling himself could not really rely on what he himself had written about the war, other than it was something that was one of great mistake.

"To this day, light still clings in the darkest of corners, where all light should fade away, yet it is still there. As was said by the great poet, 'Evil has many faces, but true evil only has the name of Good'. Despite what other may think, he still holds true to the fact that evil exists in many forms, just as good does. What one stallion sees as evil, another sees naught but good, and vice versa." Spike took a moment to wipe away his tears before he spoke again, "You all hate me, because I am different. Well, to tell you the truth, I hate me too. It was because of the stupidity of my, I mean, our great ancestor that the dragon Prince died."

Spike was sworn to secrecy when he was younger, and the only ponies in history to know of who he truly is, were his closest friends, who were really more friends of Twilight's, Rarity, his mother, and his adopted parents. Though he was allowed to see his mother whenever he wished, he was not allowed to see her too often, otherwise some pony might get suspicious.

Often, like he was doing now in silence, he would think of his father, and how he had died before he was born. For a few years after his birth he got to live with his mother, but for his protection she had to give him up. She never even got to watch him grow up to be the young drake that both his father and mother wanted him to be, albeit rarely watching him from afar when she was permitted the free time away from her royal duties.

She had agreed however that she would be at every single one of his games this year, no matter what it took. After the game they would go out to some place special for dinner, only the two of them, with her ever present escort force of course, as always. Most, if not all, of the Royal Guard knew him, and they knew that he was always allowed to be where ever his mother was if he so chose to be.

Looking up from his desk once more, he could see that all eyes were still on him, some bore a look of interest, while others showed anger for taking up their time with his smart brain. "Due to the death of the dragon Prince, there was no reported son or daughter to carry on his legacy. Even now, the line of royalty for the dragons has ended, and when time finally takes away the current King and Queen, the royal blood will be severed, permanently." The ringing of the bell saved the students from having to listen to any more of Spike's words, causing the drake to release a sigh of relief.

The teacher approached the amethyst drake as he was putting away his things in his satchel, "I do no like to be shown up like that in class. I want you to write me a fifteen page paper on the meaning of 'Respect', afterwords you can write me a thirty page paper, describing in great detail, the later works of Stalling. It is all due before the end of class tomorrow, is that clear?" With a nod from the drake, the teacher packed up his things and left the room, not even noticing the tears that were falling from the drake's eyes. Wishing that he was anywhere but there, Spike rose from his seat and entered the hallway, never looking up from the floor as he made his way through the mass of ponies to his next and final class of the day.

Upon entering the Theater room, the drake found himself a nice, quiet place in the back of the room, shrouded slightly by the overhang of costumes that he knew were for the schools upcoming play, 'Romeo and Juliet'. The room often had no chairs in it, since it was a theater class, and today was no exception. All students took a seat on the floor and faced the low hanging screen that was over the whiteboard, since they were simply watching a movie, 'Les Miserablés'.

While everypony else was taking a seat, he peaked out of his hiding place to see if Rarity had come in yet, but he was slightly shocked to find that she was not there. Letting a few fresh tears come to his eyes, he looked down at his feet, seeing the elegant amethyst purple scales sticking out from underneath of his pant legs. Light, shallow whimpers escaped him as he whispered her name, wishing more than ever that she was there with him, to help him with the pain. The teacher already knew that Spike was in the back, as that was often where he sat, but when she had asked about his tears, he had told her that he only wanted to talk about it with Rarity. Reluctantly, as he could tell by the tone in her voice, she allowed it, but only if he promised to talk to his own sister about it too, he swore he would.

Silence ensued as his whimpering came to a stop, his eyes glued to the door as it opened to reveal both his teacher, and Rarity. Both seemed to smile at one another before Rarity made her way over towards where Spike was, while the teacher turned off the lights and started the movie. Without making so much as a peep, Rarity crawled into the empty space with Spike, using her thumbs to brush away his tears before pressing her lips against his cheek. "Ms. Bolt told me that you were upset. What's wrong Spike?"

Rather than answer her with words, he slipped his arms underneath of her own before locking them behind her back, pulling her in close as a few more tears left his eyes, while his lips came to brush against her own. Time ceased to matter to them as they shared a passionate moment, but there was something more magical about this kiss that they shared.

Unlike when they had often kissed before, where either one could feel the spark that was their love flow through their lips, this kiss just seemed more like a moment of taking away the pain. Rarity could feel through her lips all of the pain that her little Spikey-Wikey was feeling, and she was powerless to help him, unless she showed him just how much she loved him. Grasping his back slightly harder than he was her, she pressed against him until they were lying together behind the costumes, now able to see the rest of the class watching the movie if they chose to look.

Wasting no time, she let her lips part as her tongue traveled across, brushing past his lips without an invitation to throw forth all of her love and care, hoping that by doing so his pain would vanish. She could feel his heart beating against his chest below her, actively attacking his chest to try and get close to her own, which she could feel trying to break through her own breast to be closer to his. Letting a slight smile dance across her lips, she pulled away from him, quietly so as not to disturb the class.

Upon opening his eyes, Spike could see the mare that he loved more than anything else in the world, lying atop him with her legs wrapped around his own while her tail wove together with his own, a sweet smile on her lips as she held her upper body apart from his, watching him. A line of saliva connected their bottom lips, but neither one really cared. Spike himself was just content to stare into the eyes of his Rarity, seeing a torrent of emotions flicker by, ranging from anger at whoever caused him pain, to a comforting sparkle, to love that wanted to wrap him up in a warm blanket and never let him out.

Rarity could see a different story in Spike's eyes, if only slightly similar to her own. A vast open ocean of pain seemed to cascade past everything else that he was feeling, but just by being with her as he was now, she could see that his pain was slowly being pushed back by the care and warmth of friendship that she showed him, above her love for him. That left only the love that he had for her, and the deeper that she stared into his emerald orbs, she could tell that more than anything her wanted to hold her close and never left her go, never let anything harm her so long as he lived.

To say that what they shared in that single moment of silence was just love was a serious understatement. What they were feeling went above and beyond love, it seemed to them that as the saying of true love goes, they were as a single river that had split at the birth of an embankment, yet as they traveled further downstream, they came back to one another to become whole once more. They were two separate minds, two separate beings, yet their hearts beat together in perfect synch, as of their hearts were one. In that single, solitary moment, each knew the others fear, weakness, desires, and even what they wanted the most in this life.

To them, it seemed as if the entire world had vanished all around and they were left all alone, free to love each other as they saw fit. Though both knew what the other wanted, they were not going to go back on their word to wait, even if they remembered that they were still in school. Nevertheless, Rarity wanted to give her dragon lover something that he was going to be a reminder to him that she was always going to be there for him. So, with a slight smirk, she slipped a hand against his neck to brush it to the side before she brought her teeth down on the hard, scaled flesh, finding it rather strange that she got the metallic taste of blood, but only slightly.

With a worried expression, she let him slip his neck from her mouth before she turned his head so that she was looking into his eyes, seeing a pleased expression on his face. "You don't know how long I have waited for you to do that." His voice was low enough in whisper volume that only she could hear, just in case the movie was not loud enough to cover their voices.

She let out a quiet giggle before she pressed her lips against the underside of his jaw, letting her tongue come out as she let it trail down his neck towards the base, then onto what parts of his toned chest that were exposed. He gulped as she did the same stroke of her tongue on the other side, making him want to moan her name, but he just settled for mouthing her name over and over as she now went down the center of his neck. "I think I can guess."

As if to respond to her words, he pulled her down close again, watching her intently as she expected him to place his lips against hers. As they drew just a few inches away, where they could feel the others breaths, he pulled to the side and placed his lips against her neck, letting his tongue run up and down the fur, making her dig her nails into the scales on his back. To stifle a moan from escaping her lips she bit her bottom lip, loving the simple pleasure that she was getting from him simply just licking her neck, it felt so foreign, yet so right.

Feeling a rush unlike any other, Spike could feel his primal instincts start to take over, forcing him into a position that he did not want to be in. His heart rate began to soar through the roof, his stomach turned warmer, while his fingertips felt like they were ice cold, and he realized without a doubt that what he was feeling was lust, and it made him fear himself. Pulling back slightly, he let her neck leave his lips as he looked at her, an expression of fear making its way to his eyes.

Rarity looked down at her drake, feeling slightly shocked that he was looking at her with fear, but when she felt something poking her on the inside of her leg, she could not help but bite back a giggle, finding his predicament rather amusing

With her fit of laughter subsiding, she let out a long sigh before she lied down with her head on his neck, giving the base a few pecks every now and again. "Spike," her soft voice began, "please tell me what is wrong. I hate to see you acting like you were."

With his fear now washing away, along with the bulge that had formed in his jeans, he too sighed before his voice, slightly shaky and low responded. "I am sorry Rarity, it was Mr. Fullerton, he got to be again. He was reading to us some of Stalling's work, more specifically about the Great War between dragons and ponies. It made me think about my grandparents and how my grandfather killed my father while trying to kill my mother. I miss her so much, and I just want to see her again."

Rarity placed a kiss on his cheek before she looked him in the eyes, "Spike, you know that you always can. She will always make time for you, even if she had the threat of Equestria in her hands. You are her son, you are a Prince of both ponies and dragons, no pony can ever claim the same. You are the rightful air to both throwns, and in time, you will get them. Princess Celestia said you would."

He sighed before he stared deep into her eyes, letting her know that his next words were one to remember, words that she would never forget and carry to the grave with her, "I cannot claim the thrown until I have a mate by my side. Besides, I have to not only be eighteen, but my mother wants me to finish High School first. None of those are going to happen anytime soon, so there is no reason to worry about any of that. I just miss my mother is all, I wish that we did not nave to keep my status a secret."

She placed a kiss against his lips before responding, "But we must Spike. I wish that I could tell everypony that I hope to one day be your Queen, but I do not want any other mares to get to you and take you away from me. They will only want you because of your title, and many of our friends think that is why I am with you, but you and I both know that, that is not true. My love for you is true, and it always will be, because of who you are. I fell in love with Spike Sparkle, the young dragon boy who was always so funny to be with, not Spike, the Dragon-Pony Prince."

A warming smile crossed his lips as he stared at her with a new look of desire, love, and care that seemed all too familiar to her, "Thank you Rarity. I needed that. Don't worry about the other mares though, they will never get to me, unless they tie me to the bed."

Both shared a quiet laugh before Rarity swatted playfully at his chest, "Shh, don't give those filthy mares any ideas. If any pony is going to tie you up to a bed, it is going to be me." She gave him a seductive smile as she ran a hand down his chest, stopping just above where his hips and torso met. Neither one spoke, simply letting their closing bodies speak for them as their eyes fell shut, lips coming together while their tongues slithered out of their mouths, going for the other in not even the faintest of heartbeats, creating what was to them, a perfect serenity of heaven.

* * *

"Incoming!" Spike looked up to see the object of his focus, a black and white checkered ball, sail through the air, landing in front of where he was running. Without thinking, as it was now second nature to him, he started to dribble the ball between his feet, watching out for any open teammates. Spotting Cobalt open down field, he kicked the ball up in the air before jumping into a back flip, using the top of his foot to send the ball sailing down towards her.

Using only her head, Cobalt managed to send the ball soaring towards the goal with enough momentum that it shot past the goalie like a speeding bullet leaving a gun. As she passed Spike, they high-fived one another before going back to join the rest of their team.

For the team that they had, they were relatively small, barely regulation size, if that. In their current regulation of only playing against the other schools in neighboring cities due to them being a high school team, they were allowed up to twenty-two members at the max, with a minimum of eleven. Thus far their team was comprised of; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Scootaloo, Cobalt, Featherweight, Rain, Spike, Applebloom, Pipsqueak, Vinyl Scratch, and Noteworthy, setting them at just the minimum limit of players.

For a small town team, and an even smaller team at that, they were all very skilled players. Some, like Applebloom and Vinyl Scratch, made great goalies, but they had little speed on the field and could not get enough power in their kick. Others like Noteworthy and Featherweight, were very skilled at traveling down field while dribbling the ball, but they lacked in the power of the kick. Thus you had Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Cobalt, who were the greatest kickers as well as overall players that the team had. Each one excelled in all three departments, while the rest just tried what they were best at, practicing in each position as was required by every player.

Despite the fact that they were a small team with great players, they had just one downfall. No pony on the team trusted their fellow teammate, aside from Spike, Cobalt, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, the four got along great, but everypony else always bickered about what they were doing wrong. Thankfully however the team had enough players this year that they could actually play, and end their constant losing streak from the previous years before the team just quit competing and no pony was joining.

This year the team had a real coach to teach them, a coach who had played soccer for a long time when he was in junior high, high school, and when he was in college. Shining Armor, Spike's older brother, was a great coach. He drove each member to their limit, never favorited Spike over the rest, if anything he made the drake work harder than the rest, and he was always looking out for his team members, talking to them when something personal was wrong. Through all of his coaching however, he had yet to find a way for the ponies to work together, to think and feel as a team, to play off of each others weaknesses. No pony seemed like they cared about their fellow teammates, like they were the only player that mattered.

Today however Coach Armor had come up with a new tactic to try and get his team to bind together, a tactic that he knew they were going to loathe and most likely hate him for as long as he was their coach. "Alright gather around now team! We got a new training exercise to try out!" His voice was smooth and cool, almost like he was always laid back and did not sweat anything.

He waited until the entire team had taken a seat on the grass before him, forming two rows with five in the front and six in the back. "Alright, I know that many of you do not trust each other, but in order for us to work together as a team to win we must think alike. If we do not trust each other, then how are we going to beat the Manehatten Manticores on Friday. I don't know about you, but I think that a victory would be a great start for us. Especially since the Princess is coming to watch the game."

All eyes, except for Spike's, went wide with astonishment. Vinyl was the one to ask the question that was on every pony's mind, "Really? Princess Celestia is coming to watch us?"

Shining chuckled before he said, "Of course she is, the Princess loves a good game of soccer. Besides, she is close friends with my mother and father, and when she heard that I was coaching, she wanted to see how good the team was. She used to watch me in college you know." His thoughts were broken by the sound of the entire team laughing, "Well, maybe she didn't come for me, but still. Anyways, ya she is going to be there."

Now, he looked at Spike with a slight grin on his face, "Don't you think that winning this for the Princess would be truly great. She has faith in us, since no pony else does, and I do not want her faith to be made into farce. So, from now on, you will pair up with somebody that you do not know for practice. You will hug your partner before and after practice," groans arose from the gathered, "I don't want to hear it. If you had been acting like a team then I would not have had to go this far, but you wanted to keep your petty, worthless arguments. Well, I am going to ween that out of you! From now on you will pair up and practice what you are good at, you will learn what your partner fails at and try to see if you can help them get better."

His face looked over every pony to see that they all had looks of disgust on their faces, "And another thing, at the end of practice, you will tell us something personal that you learned about that pony, whether it be a favorite pet, food, color, etc. Here is the catch though, it has to be true. If it something that you just made up or guessed, then you will run twenty laps everyday after practice around the field, no walking at all. And you will do so until the next game. Now, am I understood." Small murmurs arose around him, but most was unheard. "I said, Am I understood!"

All together they shouted, "Yes sir!"

He chuckled, "Good! Then grab a partner and let's get started."

While everypony ran around trying to find some pony, Spike just stayed out and away from everypony until he was called out by none other than Vinyl Scratch, whom he only knew by name. She spoke first, "Hi, Spike right? Well I am Vinyl Scratch." She stepped forward to embrace the drake in a hug, which he returned before slipping out of her grasp. "Well, I know that you are good at just about everything on the team, but that is about it. If I may ask, do you know what I am really good at?"

Spike ran a hand down the back of his neck as he said, "Well, sort of. I have been keeping a close eye on all of the players, so I know what most of them can and can't do. Like you, I know that you are a great goalie, your quick hands mixed with your sharp reflexes and keen eyes make you a nightmare for the kickers. But you fall short in endurance on the field, but you make up for that by always managing to make yourself an easy target for your teammates. In all, I would say that you need to work on your endurance."

With that, they two took off down the field to run a few laps, trying to build up Vinyl's endurance so that she could keep up if she needed to replace some pony on the field. As they ran, he could not help but ask, "So, since we uh, have to learn something new about each other, would you like to share anything first?"

Her eyes remained forward as they rounded a corner, now heading back towards the other goal. It seemed as though she had either not heard him or was slightly insulted, he was about to apologize when she said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I may not know you, but I consider you a friend."

Spike almost tripped over his own feet as he heard her words, never having made any real friends since Rarity and the gang. "Really Vinyl, you consider me your friend?"

She did not turn to look at him, rather she just smiled and said, "Of course. Although, I consider everypony on the team my friend."

If it was at all possible, Spike felt like he was on cloud nine from hearing her words. Vinyl thought that he was a friend, something that he knew very little about being, but he wanted to learn so much more. Sure he had hung around the gang before, but he knew nothing of what being a friend was truly about, and here was a mare, no, a friend that was willing to give him the chance to learn what it meant to be one. "I never really had a friend, aside from Rarity."

A toothy smile was flashed his way as she asked, "You know Rarity? The dressmaker?"

A slight tint of red came to his face as he said, "Ya, I do. She is my marefriend."

Vinyl just laughed, "Good for you Spike. Now you got some pony to cheer for you. Aside from your family that is, and of course me."

Spike simply let her voice fade away as he thought about Rarity, thought about his mother, and how both were going to be cheering for him on Friday. Life was truly a gift, and though it had been a rough start, he was determined to make his life count, to make both the love of his life and his mother proud to watch him play the game they all loved.


	3. Ties That Bind

_Ties That Bind_

"Gather around team!" Heavy, thudding footsteps could be heard as all eleven members gathered around Coach Armor, all of whom were breathing heavily from the strenuous workouts that they had recently accomplished. "Tomorrow night we meet here on the field of battle, our own turf no less. Our enemy, the second best in the league, the Manehattan Manticores, a tough bunch from what I have seen of their previous games.

"I know that I have been drilling you hard this past week, but that is because I really feel like we have grown together as a family in that time. In truth, I have noticed that you no longer shy away from each other, many of you I have even seen hanging out at the Pizzeria after practice to simply have a bite to eat or to chat with each other. I guess what I am really trying to say is, I really like how the team is shaping up, and it is with a heavy confidence that I place my faith in you."

Shining Armor took a breath as he looked at each of his players in turn, never once breaking away from the heavy gaze of their sparkling eyes. In each player's heart, he could see a fire ignite that he knew would be needed if they were going to win, that same fire that spurred mostly Spike and himself on from day to day, hope. Without even having to think heavily about it, he knew that his faith was placed on the right team, but there was more that he wanted them to know.

"It is with a heart full of pride that I can safely say that you are the best team I have ever seen before. You may be small, but you have shown me that you have the determination, the drive, the fire, and the passion to stay strong, to keep your heads held high, and to never, ever give up. But I want you to know something, the score, nor the game matters to me that much. What truly matters to me is that you all have fun, a win will come or it won't, but if I can see you placing all of your heart into the game that we all love, if you give me that, I will sleep with a smile on my face no matter whether we win or lose. Team, I love you guys, and I am proud to be your coach."

Nothing was heard within the small huddle, not the drop of a pin, nor the faint cars traveling along the road, the only sound was that of the heavy breathing from every player. Almost as if it was a universal thing between them, and as had become custom among them, they all placed their right hand into the center, simply holding their hands together. Scales, fur, it did not matter. As far as the entire body of players were concerned, not even gender mattered to them. They were a team, a family, that relied on each other, protected each other, worked with each other, and shed their blood, sweat, and tears together.

Humming began to encircle their tight little group, originating from none other than Vinyl Scratch, who, for once, had her elegant moderate cerise eyes showing off a burning desire to get the team into an uproar. As if by some mental note, all of the players began to hum the same note, while Spike began a chant, "Who are we? Patriots! Where do we come from? Ponyville! Come on now team, say it with me."

Together, as if they were a large chorus that got lost from their band choir and had somehow made it onto the soccer field, they all began to chant. "Whoo are we? The Patriots! Where do we come from? Ponyville! Say it louder now. Whoo are we? PATRIOTS! Where do we come from? PONYVILLE! Ponyville Patriots! Patriots! Patriots! Patriots! PATRIOTSSS!" Together they started to through their hands up in the air, just as they all screamed out the final note. All together they let loose with a bunch of howls towards the sky, as though they were a pack of ravenous wolves on the hunt during a full moon.

With cheers going up all around, they brought their hands together in the air above them before breaking apart with one last howl, and, "PATRIOTS!" With whoops accompanying them, each member made their way back to the locker room, congratulating each other along with smiles beaming across everyponies face.

Spike sat alone inside of the locker room, being one of the last ones to leave every day, and today was no exception. Having already showered down, he now sat in nothing but his freshly pressed dark blue jeans, and his brand new Converse shoes. Laying on the bench beside of him was a plain white t-shirt, with a black button up somewhat silk shirt beneath it, both folded neatly in a pile.

Silence seemed to enclose him, punctuated every now and again by the little drip of water falling from an open faucet, that seemed as though it made a note of toying with his fragile mind. Every now and again he could hear the screech of a locker door as it closed before a player walked by, not even bothering to look at the drake as they passed by. All but one mare, who opted to share a slight few minutes with the drake, seeing as how he looked as though he were about to go to war.

Being quiet, so as not to disturb him, Vinyl took a seat on the adjacent side of his piled clothing before letting out a slight sigh, earning his attention. "Spike, what do you make of this life? I mean think about it, we wake up, we do our daily thing, we go to sleep, and we eat or drink to keep our bodies functioning. But what does all of that mean in the end for us. Sure we get to enjoy a few clairvoyants of time where we feel like we are invincible, but let's face it, we are all just small ants to the grand scheme of things."

Spike could do nothing aside from look towards the mare as though she was a totally different pony than the one that had just become his first real friend in years. "W-What are you getting at Vinyl?"

She giggled before she slapped him on the back a few times, making him groan slightly as he continued to stare at her. "Well what I am trying to say ya goof is that life is too short to worry about the small things. You claim everyday that you are not good enough for Rarity, but if you only take a moment to look into the mirror, you would see the exact opposite. Besides, Rarity obviously thinks that you are what she is looking for in a coltfriend, or in your case a dragonfriend, because she is with you right now. If you were a nobody like you keep saying that you are, then she would not give you the time of day."

He could not hold back a slight grin as he looked over the now normal form of his newest friend Vinyl Scratch. "I never knew that you were so wise when it came to such things as love, considering that you cannot keep a coltfriend for over a week. Why the sudden change of heart Vinyl?"

A light blush of crimson touched her cheeks as she looked away for a moment, "Well, I guess that you are my friend. I care about you and I hate to see you degrading yourself, even when Rarity tells you otherwise. Spike, you are a much better drake than any other colt in this school. Unlike many of them, you actually care about mares, you view them as ponies just like colts view each other. To them though, we mares are nothing more than walking things to mate with, animals."

She flashed him a disgusted look, making them both laugh in the simple way that she joked with him, something that he had not done in a long time. "Wow, you are right there. That I do know is true for sure. Although, I could see you as being nothing more than a cushion to throw around a time or two." He laughed as she screamed his name, throwing his bag to the floor with his clothes on top before she pushed him off of the bench, both laughing wildly.

Spike waited until they had both settled before he retook his seat on the bench, watching Vinyl closely as he reached for his shirt. Just before he could grab it she ran forward from her seat and snatched the bag, running out of the locker room with a howl of laughter. Chuckling to himself, Spike took off after the mare, knowing that he could not afford to linger any longer.

It was not hard to find the mare, as she was almost to the end of hall as he entered it. Not wasting a moment, he doubled his speed as he shot down the hall, making it to the mare in less than five seconds and fully leaping over her with the same agility as a gymnast might have, grabbing his bag from her hands as he did so.

Landing hard on the ground, he turned to see the white mare with her jaw dropped, her glasses low, and her eyes wider than saucers. "Where did you learn to do that?"

A slight grin came across his lips as he said, "When I was younger I used to do free running. I developed amazing agility. I guess my body thought that it might come in handy one day, who knew that today would be one of those days." Together they shared one final laugh before Spike said, "Well, I have to get going Vinyl, see you tomorrow at the game." With that, he turned his back to the mare and emerged out of the hall and onto the field.

Looking out over the field, he could not help but feel an emerging warmth within his chest, a slight sense of pride that seemed as though it was larger than his own mind could ever imagine. Taking in a deep breath, he caught the heavy scent of wet soil, interlaced with the heavenly aroma of falling, water coated leaves as they released their grip on the branches that held them close, like a mother with her newborn foal.

Farther out across the field was the rolling hill that rose high above the rear goal net before it dropped off into the student parking lot. The grass swayed in the slight breeze that was carried across the open plain, serving as their playing mat. Just barely slipping over the rise on top of the hill was his mother's elegant sun, kissing the world goodbye. With the kiss, it showered the sky with a beautiful hue of orange as it went further away and gold closer towards the giant star. The clouds were shaded a delightful shade of amethyst, giving the wide open sky a compliment of harmony, of peace.

Standing where the sun touched the rise was the most beautiful mare that had ever had the chance of catching his eyes. Her royal purple hair fell along her back in its usual curls, seeming to glimmer in the way that it caught the setting light from the glorious sun.

Baby blue sapphires adorned the collar and sides of her sapphire blue dress, with the train almost touching the grass. Sleeves were short, almost to her elbows, with more sapphires running along the edge. Magnificent sapphire, almost clear high heels were on her feet, making her look like an angel. Combined with her silvery-white fur, she was in all sense, an angel that was cast down to him from the heavens above.

With the sun touching her back, she seemed to have a certain radiance about her, that made her seem all the more that she was the perfect mare for him, but he was not the perfect mate that she was looking for. Putting on a smile for her however, he could not help but run up the hill towards her, his shirt billowing behind him as he grabbed her in his hands, spinning her around while raising her up. Laughter filled their ears while joy filled their hearts, both feeling a sense of happiness that they had only felt when alone.

To them, the world seemed to fade away, leaving them in utter light. Though they had a train to catch, neither one said anything as Spike lowered her back to the ground, staring deep into each others eyes. Before either one knew it, their lips were locked together, their tongues worming across into each others mouth while their hands went around each others back, holding the one they loved the most close to their beating hearts.

Warmth, some from the sun, engulfed them as the feeling of love overwhelmed them, making them both wish that it could last forever. Rather than let the feeling go to waste, Rarity slipped out of Spike's grasp before taking off toward her car, a sapphire blue Mustang GT with light purple tinted windows and a black interior. Chuckling to himself, he took off after the mare, now feeling like this night was going to be alright.

* * *

Though it was only a thirty minute ride from the city of Ponyville to Canterlot by train, it seemed like it took forever to get there. Each minute that passed brought with it another minute of worry to the young drake. Was his mother going to like Rarity? Was she going to approve of his choice of action that he was proposing to do tonight? Was she going to accept the fact that he had followed in his father's footsteps? Was she still going to love him?

In the distance he could see the lights from the large city built into the side of a mountain shine brightly in his Aunt Luna's elegant night. The closer he came towards his home city, the more nervous he grew, and the more that he felt his hands feeling both of the wooden boxes that were in his pockets. One was long and slim, holding within it a gift for his mother, the other was smaller and more square like, within which held the ultimate gift that he could give Rarity.

Fingering the box for a bit, he found himself looking out the window as his talon traced the curves on either of the boxes. His heart beat in his chest much heavier than he would have liked it to, but he was still so unsure of himself and if Rarity truly felt for him the way that he did for her. Tonight though he would find out, tonight he would know for sure if he was going to be with the mare that he loved the most, for all eternity.

It is not well known throughout Equestria, but when Spike was old enough, he was told a secret as to the life expectancy of dragons and ponies. Though commonly known throughout Equestria, Alicorns can live forever, unless affected by a blade or, as his mother had experienced, through the piercing of the heart. Disease too can claim them, but what did that mean about dragons? As Spike found out, it is nigh on impossible for a dragon to catch a disease that can kill them, their scales are hard to pierce with anything aside from a talon as sharp as their own, and time can almost never claim them.

There is one weakness though. It is true that just like an alicorn, a dragon can live forever. But what is not known, only to dragons that is, that when a dragon finds a mate, when they consummate and become one, that dragons life force is transferred to their perspective mate. Same thing with any pony, so if Spike were to mate with Rarity, she would live until the day that he were to die. Due to this special connection, a dragon is more likely to die with time, as their chances of becoming infected with a deadly disease is slightly increased. But, with Spike himself, it became a different story.

Spike, as was told when he was younger, is no normal dragon. He is the son of both an Alicorn, and a dragon. Both combined, which was never done before in the known history of Equestria, created a new breed or a new species of dragon. Spike has the rough exterior of a dragon, including the same glands that are used to mate with, but his internal organs, his blood, is like that of a ponies. When he bleeds, if he ever does, blood like that of a ponies genetic make-up leaks out, along with the slight hint of draconic genetic material. He has to retain some form of draconic glands on his innards as he can breathe fire when need be, thus creating the flame delivery service, which allows him to send pictures to his mother in a matter of seconds.

Because of this rare case with him, it is basically thought by his mother that when he does chose a respective mate, that he will actually outlast anypony, with her alongside of him. What has really been stated though, is that due to the fact that he is not completely a dragon, when and if he chooses a mate, that dragoness or mare will last many eternities with him, their love developing more and more with each passing day.

In all, he will basically be the opposite of what happens to a normal dragon. The mare or dragoness that he mates with, their immune system will be able to counteract any virus that attacks their body, their scales or fur will heal almost instantly, their time will be linked, so that when he passes so too shall they, by the force of their love. Time will not take them, but by being what he is, he has only one true weakness.

The heart of the mare or dragoness that is his mate is the only thing that can kill him aside from a sharp blade through the scales and to the heart, so long as it is poison tipped. With all essence, he can and will live forever, alongside of the mare or dragoness that he is with. But, should that mate ever come to any danger, should they die, then he too will die. It is an equal connection, meaning that one cannot live without the other, just as he cannot live without Rarity.

To Spike, it feels as if he is already mated with Rarity. He could never imagine a life without her, he could never see her in another light, live his own life, without her by his side. Often he had wondered how she would react if he told her the power, the future that they could have together if they were mated, but as often as he thought about it, he refrained. He felt that deep in his heart, she would mate with him just because of what it would mean for her.

He wanted to change that however, he wanted her to mate with him because she wanted to, not because of what she would gain by doing so.

A slight tug on his arm brought his attention back to the mare who was sitting beside him, her head on his shoulder and looking up at him with worry. "Is everything alright Spikey?"

A wry smile managed to snake its way across his lips as he looked at the mare with naught but love and care, both of which were always prominent in his eyes when he looked at her. "Ya, just a little nervous as to what my mother is going to think about you."

She giggled. "Really, that worries you? I hope you know that no matter what she thinks of me, its what you think of me that matters. Besides, I like her, and I do believe that with what Twilight has been telling her, she already likes me." Another soft giggle escaped her as she pressed her lips against his cheek before running off to meet with Twilight for the remainder of the ride.

By looking at the city, he could tell that they were about ten minutes out. More than enough time for a certain older brother to sit down beside him and give him some helpful advise, as always. "So Spike, I hear that you are proposing to Rarity."

His eyes grew wide as his head turned around so sharply that one would have thought that his head was supposed to snap off. "What?! Who told you?"

He chuckled as he slapped the drake on the upper shoulder. "You did, just now." A groan escaped the drake's lips as he looked towards the ground in defeat. "Hey, it's alright little bro. I remember when I asked Cadence to marry me." The stallion played with the ring that was on his finger, rolling it around his ring finger a few times. "I was so sure that she was going to say no, that she was going to break up with me that night. But as fate would have it, she actually said yes. I can tell that you are nervous, I can see that you are always doubting something. It was not until tonight that I knew what you had doubt in. Spike, you need to stop doubting yourself."

He scoffed, "Why not? I'll never be good enough for her, but I love her. I can't stand to break my own heart. I know I can be better, I know I can be everything that she wants in a mate."

Shining Armor placed a hand on the drake's shoulder, "Spike, if there is anything that I have noticed between you two, it is that you are everything that she wants and needs in a mate. She loves you with all of her heart, no matter what you do, that will never change. She would die for you Spike, just as I know you would for her. I have no doubt what so ever that she will say yes to you tonight. All you have to do is believe that in yourself Spike.

"You are the only one who can change you. I have heard everypony say it to you numerous times, but from what I gather, you never bother to listen. Spike, please do not change who you are. Be the carefree, fun loving drake that we all know and love you for. I know that, that is what your mother would want. Your father, if he were here, I am sure would feel the same way. Rarity I know feels that way, and she has often told me that she fears she is losing you."

The drake went wide eyed yet again as he stared hard at his older brother, finding his words to be spoken true, as he would never lie to the drake. "Really?"

He stared hard back, "Yes Spike. You are just perfect the way that you are, after tonight you will see it the same as we all do."

Screeching was heard as the train came to a stop in the station, smoke billowing out from underneath of it in great plumes. With a high pitched hiss, the station intercom bellowed, "Welcome to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. We hope that you enjoy your stay with us."

Spike, without much anything to say, followed his brother out onto the platform. Waiting for them there were four ponies, all garbed in black suits, each with a headphone in his left ear. Quickly speaking into his wrist, the lead pony stepped forward to greet Spike. "Sir Sparkle, Lady Celestia requests that you join her immediately." The pony had a slight accent from somewhere far off, almost like he was from another part of Equestria. It was deep too, yet it seemed slightly caring, as if he knew the pony. "Ya little squirt."

Both the pony and Spike smiled as the drake ran forward to embrace the pony in a hug. "Wow, I can't believe mom sent you Glade. I thought that you had retired by now. It's great to see you."

They gave each other a fist bump after they broke apart. "Well, who else was she going to send? Garthren?" They both shared a light laugh. "Well, she probably would have had I not asked to come. You have grown into a fine young drake Spike. I think that your father would be proud of you." Glade smiled as he put a hand on the drake's back, leading him over towards a parked jet black stretch limo, with three guards standing around it. "Enough talk, I think Lady Celestia wanted to see her son right away."

Together with Glade, his sister, Rarity, and his brother, Spike entered the back of the limo, while Glade sat in the front with the driver. "Buckle up everypony, it is a slightly long way to the Hotel Montico."

Spike let his jaw drop as he looked at Glade with surprise, "What?! Mom is inviting me to Montico. She never let me go there, even on my birthday."

Glade just continued to smile, "Well squirt, I guess that your mother thought that this was a special occasion. You are after all going to outlive her, along with that cute mare you have there, am I right?"

Both Rarity and Spike looked at each other before blurting out, "NO! We are just dating." Both were blushing heavily now and neither one looked towards Glade for a few moments of silence, which was interrupted by the stallion laughing.

Shining Armor looked towards his sister before looking at Glade with wonder. "So, Glade it was right?" A nod was his only response. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why exactly are we going all the way to the Hotel Montico? Is my wife coming to dine with us too or something?"

"Princess Cadence is already there along with Princess Luna and Celestia. All are awaiting their little squirt there." He raised his voice slightly to garner the attention of said drake, "Spike, I think Lady Luna was looking forward to seeing her nephew again. I think your cousin was too."

Spike chanced a glance at the stallion. "Cadence is going to be there too? What is the big event Glade? What has my mother gone and cooked up now?"

He chuckled lightly, "That, you will have to see for yourself." He looked at the drake directly through the rear view mirror, "By the way. Happy Birthday."

Spike had been so focused this week, as had Rarity, that they had both forgotten his own birthday. Strangely, his brother and sister had forgotten as well. Pretty soon, the other three said the same to the drake, as did the driver. Rarity had given the drake a deep kiss, not really caring that his family was in the car.

The group grew silent as the limo pulled up to a six story tall building. Sticking out the front was an overhang that read, _Hotel Montico_, in big letters. Flashes of gold, neon green, baby blue, crimson, and amethyst darted around the letters, some lighting up. A long, red carpet stretched out from the front door to the end of the walkway, where the limo stopped.

Stepping out of the car, Glade went towards the back door to hold it open while the four climbed out, each one taking in the magnificent view. Roses in all assortments, colors, fluttered up towards the building, with a running waterfall halfway between each. Daisies could be seen along with colorful daffodils, dandelions, and orchids. Wrapped around each black metallic pole that held up the overhang where vines that seemed to cling to the metal for dear life, fearing death should they release their iron grip.

Whistling with both joy and awe, Spike allowed Glade to lead them inside along with two other ponies in suits, each one watching every pony that passed. Dragons could be seen walking out from the Hotel as could ponies, each one when passing by the group looked on in wonder as to why they were being escorted by the ponies in suits. Some however, just walked on by as if they were not even there.

Inside of the Hotel was just as beautiful as the outside. Upon entering, one was assailed with the smell of freshly cooked food, along with the heavenly aroma of lavender. A single desk was erected by the door, with a younger looking mare standing behind it. She had in an earpiece with a microphone that stretched down to her plump lips.

Glade spoke softly to her, "The V.I.P.s are here."

She only nodded as the group passed on, passing by more of the ponies in the suits until they came to a door that was sealed shut. Hanging in front of the door were two golden pillars that rose towards the top of the door, a rope was strung up between them with a sign hung off of it that read, _Private Party. Keep out._

Glade knocked thrice on the door before a voice sounded, deep and almost like a baritone type, "Who disturbs the peace?"

"One who seeks the light in darkness."

A heavy lock sounded on the other side of the door before it swung open, the rope rising towards the top of the door. "East and West wings secure sir." The stallion was tall and was big, his muscles evident even underneath of his suit. Raising a wrist he said, "V.I.P.s heading in." A few moments passed before they were allowed to proceed, the door shutting behind them and the heavy lock echoing in the quiet room.

Darkness enveloped them as they came to the end of a hall, opening out into what they hoped was a larger room. All were silent as the slight shuffling of dresses, high heels, and dress shoes were heard before there was a resounding boom. Ringing again, the lights jumped on to reveal a whole class of ponies and dragons, all of whom were wearing bright smiles and garbed in clothes of exotic colors. Altogether they shouted, "Happy Seventeenth Birthday Spike!"

His heart nearly skipped out of his chest as he beheld the mass that was before him. The room was easily the same size as half of the soccer field, filled to the brim with ponies and dragons alike. Scales and fur seemed to blend together as they all parted ways so that he was able to look forward and see none other than his mother, a smile on her face while tears were in her eyes. "Happy Birthday my little dragon boy."

No longer able to hold it back, Spike ran towards his mother, wrapping his arms around her while hers fell around him. Both let tears fall from their eyes as they embraced each other in utter warmth and love. "I missed you mom."

"I know darling. I missed you too." She placed a kiss on his head while he just continued to hold her close, letting her go after a few minutes. Wiping the tears from her eyes, his mother said, "I love you Spike. Tonight, is your night. What you wish for the most, I will gladly grant."

A smile danced across his lips as he said, "It was already made true mom. I got to be with you, Aunt Luna, and Cadence tonight. I got to be here with the mare that I love the most." Rarity took this as her cue to step forward and stand next to Spike, looking away from the three mares that were before her. "This mom, is Rarity. She is the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria, aside from you that is. She is very kind, generous, loyal, and always honest. Mom, I love her with all of my heart. If I could wish anything tonight, it would be for your judgment of this mare."

Celestia smiled as she looked Rarity up and down, using a hand to raise her head so that she was looking the mare in the eyes. "Well Rarity, I do see the beauty that he speaks of. As far as you heart, I will judge that later. But, I have heard nothing but great things about you from Twilight, Shining Armor, their parents, and my son. If you promise to never break his heart, then I give you my full blessing."

Rarity could hardly hold back her tears as she said, "Your majesty. If anything, I worry about Spike leaving me. I will always remain faithful to him, and I could never leave him. I love him too much to hurt him. But your blessing I will gladly take." She smiled up at the Princess with tears in her eyes.

Spike looked around to see a stage was set up over towards the far side of the room, with a giant glass painted window behind it. Sitting towards the fore was a grand table that looked able to seat up to twenty ponies, or dragons. Wasting no time, Spike whispered something into his mother's ear, looking at her as he pulled away. A deep, heavy expression fell onto her face as she thought over what he had whispered to her. After a few moments, she smiled even wider as she realized why he had made his choice early. "If that is what you wish my son."

Spike beamed wider than ever as he grabbed Rarity's hand and led her to the stage, much to her amazement and wonder as to what he had planned. He said nothing about his intentions as he just continued on, with this one goal in mind. Nothing was going to deter him, nothing was going to make him sway in his thoughts. He was certain about what he was doing, and he was certain of her answer.

Pulling her up on stage with him, Spike grabbed one of the microphones that was on the table before tuning it on, looking out over the mass of ponies that were there. "Hello everypony and every dragon out there. Believe it or not, I forgot that today was my birthday." The crowd laughed before they grew silent once more. "Today is my seventeenth birthday, one year away from being the crowned prince of Equestria for both dragons and ponies." Here he grew silent as he let go of Rarity's hand to reach into his pocket, feeling the box once more.

By now he was shaking all over, his fingers barely able to stop from dropping the box as he held it to his side, out of everyponies sight as he tried to calm his racing heart, feeling as though he had just run a marathon. "There is one catch to that though." All eyes stared at him as he became silent, dropping to one knee and turning to Rarity.

Now it was Rarity's turn to be nervous. Her heart caught in her throat as she realized what he was about to say, her palms starting to sweat while her body began to shiver as she watched the drake pull forward a small wooden box. Oak made, it was carved all over with vines that seemed to curl together often like their tails did when they would lie together. "Rarity, will you by my mate by dragons standards? Will you be my wife by ponies?"

With her words caught behind her throat, she was barely able to register a, "Yes." His ears perked up as he looked into her eyes, already knowing the answer before he opened the box, showing her the ring inside. The ring was made of solid gold, melted and shaped to fit her finger alone, while a sapphire stone cut into a heart was placed on top. "Yes!" She managed to scream out before she put her arms around him, pulling him up close to her.

They shared a kiss while cheers and clapping sounded all around them, making them feel like the luckiest couple in the entire land of Equestria. Putting the ring onto her finger, Rarity and Spike stared at it for a moment before they kissed again. Breaking apart, they dropped back down to the stage while Spike shouted, "My greatest gift has been fulfilled. Let the party begin." With that, music from somewhere started to play, leaving all of the ponies and dragon to run around and do what they wanted to.

Spike made his way back towards his family, all of whom said their congratulations. Spike was not done yet however, as he slipped a hand into his pocket to pull out the other box. Handing it to his mother, he smiled as he watched her take it. The box had the same design on it, only this time some were arrayed around her name, which was in the center.

Opening the box, his mother had to hold her breath as she beheld the object inside. It was a necklace, made of a slight string with pearls wrapped all the way around. In the center however was a large emerald heart locket, inside of which were two pictures, one of his mother and father, the other of his mother and himself. Tears fell from her eyes as she embraced him in a deep hug, "Thank you Spike. I love it."

"I knew you would mom."

* * *

Thunderous roars from the crowd outside cheering brought Spike out of his memories. Last night had been the best of his life thus far, not only had his mother thrown him an exceptionally great party, but he was allowed to stay at the hotel until morning.

That was only the icing on the cake however compared to the greatest birthday gift that he could have gotten. Rarity, his best friend, his marefriend, the absolute love of his life, had said yes when he asked her to marry him. Together they had agreed to marry in March, when his mother was free and could preside over the ceremonies. If that was not enough, that night they had truly become one in every sense of the word. They had mated, allowing their love become whole, and allowing Spike to claim what was rightfully his from the moment he had laid eyes on the mare.

A smile danced across his lips as he thought about both her and his mother cheering out his name as he waited in the locker room to take the field. Though many were still dressing up and getting ready to take the field, he was already fully suited up, ready to go.

Vinyl Scratch was sitting next to him, a slight grin on her face as she placed a hand on his knee, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Spike, I hope that you have come to think of me as a good friend, and nothing more."

A light chuckle escaped him, "No worries there Vinyl. I already got a mare all to myself, and the best part is that she is no longer up for grabs. She is all mine, just as I am all hers. Can't wait to see what she has planned for the victory party after we win tonight."

Vinyl looked at the drake with wonder, seeing his eyes cast straight ahead as if Rarity was standing there watching him. "You seem so sure that we are going to win. What has you in such high of faith in yourself tonight?"

"Vinyl, I don't have faith in myself. Remember, there is no I in team. What I have faith in is you, Cobalt, Rainbow Dash, Applejack. I have faith in the coach, and I have faith in the team. Together we are going to win, even if I have to play for three tonight. We are all going to give this game our all, so let's make it worth while. Let's leave a mark that will signal the return of the Ponyville Patriots."

Their conversation was cut short as Coach Armor walked into the room, sporting a frown with a few tears in his eyes, or as he liked to call them, 'liquid pride'. Wiping his lips with the backside of his hand, he slipped the clipboard that he always carried into an open locker as he said, "I am sorry to say team, but unless we get another player in the next ten minutes, we are out for the game. Applejack just found out that she is three weeks pregnant, which means that she is out for the season. I hope you all known somepony who could help us out."

Cobalt said nothing as she ran over to her locker, shuffling through her pants to find her phone. Through the shuffling, she made a rather loud clatter of noise as she rummaged through, earning her the stare of the team as though she was the hope they were seeking. As if to answer their wonder, she pulled out her phone and within a second was pressing it to her ear.

Any pony who was standing close could hear the roar of the crowd through the small speaker on the phone as a voice answered. Without hesitation, Cobalt said, "Her sweetie, I was just wondering if you could help us out tonight. Oh, you can, great! Ya, Applejack was pulled for the season, ya I heard that was the reason. What?! Can I tell him? Aw, why not? Alright, only because I know how your mind works. Hurry up and get in here before my hands start to search for another mare." Shouting was heard before the phone was hung up, Cobalt looking around the room to see all eyes on her. "Oh, did you hear that." Crimson flushed her cheeks as they all nodded their heads. "W-Well, my marefriend Sweetie Belle has been practicing with Scootaloo apparently and she can fill in for AJ on the team tonight. She can actually do it permanently if she needs to."

Coach Armor chuckled before he sat down on the bench, looking over his team. "Alright, we have a game to play tonight. Rain, I know that your marefriend is pregnant now, but stay focused on the game. I am happy for you, but I need your all tonight, for her and your child or children. Please do this for her, if not for the team." A nod was his response, to which he responded in kind. "Alrighty then team, I have never had to give a speech before, so here it goes.

"Tonight we march out to face our long time nemesis, the Manehatten Manticores. I need all of you to play with the same fire in your hearts that you show in practice. Remember what you have learned about your fellow teammate, find a partner that you know well if you must, but work together as a team and you will win, I promise." He placed a hand out before him in the circle that was around. "Alright, altogether now. Who are we?!"

"Ponyville Patriots!" Howls went up all around as the players took one last look at each other, knowing that what they were about to do was going to stick with them for the rest of their lives. Tonight, they were going to play the greatest game of soccer in the history of Ponyville High. Tonight they were not individual players, they were not just a team, they were much more. They were a family, that was going to remain together no matter what the cost. Tonight, they were going to leave their mark on the Manticores.

Spike looked up towards the ceiling as he thought about the three mares that he knew were going to be cheering the loudest for him. _I play tonight for the team, but our win tonight is for you Rarity, and for you mother. I promise to make you both proud of me._

Without even having to look over, the drake could see that the team was getting ready to take the field. Smiling as he did so, he fell in line at the back as they ran out like wild ponies towards the light that was the field. Cheering grew louder as they neared, and just before they drew too close, a voice rang within the tunnel. "And now, coming to the field, Ponyville's home team, the Patriots..."


End file.
